Sure enough, as Ye Wanmian had said, the rain lasted for another day before the sky finally cleared up.
After the rain, the sun became scorching hot. Even through the clothes, one could feel a searing sensation when the sunlight hit the body.
Since she couldn't go out these two days, besides staying in the room poring over medical books, Ye Wanmian also cut some cloth, planning to make herself a new set of clothes.
Seeing the fine weather outside, Ye Wanmian's mood soared. She slung the bamboo basket on her back and waved to the yellow dog that had been listless for the past two days:
"Da Huang, come on! I'll take you up the mountain to catch rabbits."
Xiao Jingcheng wasn't particularly interested in the rabbits Ye Wanmian mentioned, but at least he could go out now. Without much hesitation, he controlled his body to jump up and caught up with Ye Wanmian.
Although the sky had cleared up, the continuous two - day rain had turned the originally solid ground into a muddy mess. There were also several puddles here and there. Whenever one stepped on them, the soles of their shoes would inevitably be smeared with yellow mud.
Ye Wanmian didn't care about these details at all. She didn't even bat an eye when the soles of her shoes got muddy.
But Xiao Jingcheng looked utterly disgusted.
Just as his paw was about to touch the ground, the wet sensation made him quickly retract it.
This was no different from stepping on mud bare - footed!
Damn it! His fur had gotten smeared with yellow mud!
After walking for a while, Ye Wanmian noticed that the yellow dog hadn't caught up. Looking back, she saw the familiar figure tentatively stretching out its paw repeatedly, taking each step with great difficulty and in an extremely strange posture.
Seeing the undisguised disgust on the yellow dog's face, Ye Wanmian burst out laughing.
She had long noticed that her Da Huang had changed after waking up from the poison. It was so fussy and delicate, and also extremely clean - freak.
It only wanted a new, shiny and clean bowl, and preferred to sleep on a spacious and comfortable bed, turning a blind eye to its original doghouse made of rags.
A mischievous thought popped into her mind. She shouted, "Da Huang, why are you dawdling?"
The yellow dog just glanced at her and didn't quicken its pace. It still walked in that awkward posture. Ye Wanmian waited there with her hands on her hips. When the yellow dog finally came beside her, she suddenly lifted her foot and stepped into a nearby puddle.
The water splashed up and unexpectedly drenched the yellow dog. The water, mixed with a bit of yellow mud, soaked the dog's outer fur and then dripped down.
Jiang Mian!
"Woof! Woof! Woof!"
Xiao Jingcheng didn't expect this woman to play such a prank on him. He jumped up angrily and barked loudly at the delicate and slender figure in front.
But the girl wasn't scared at all. She lifted her feet and ran forward, turning back to make a face at the yellow dog. "If you've got the guts, come and catch me! If you can catch up with me, I'll buy you a chicken leg today."
This village woman was really abominable. Just you wait! He'd surely teach her a lesson today!
Xiao Jingcheng was enraged by her words. He didn't care about the yellow mud or the puddles anymore. Immediately, he stretched out his limbs and chased after her.
Normally, a human's two legs couldn't outrun a dog's four legs. But Ye Wanmian was more familiar with the terrain than Xiao Jingcheng. Every time he thought he was about to catch up with her, she managed to dodge him with a feint and widen the distance again.
Despite the slippery ground, the bright weather lifted his spirits. As he chased after her, Xiao Jingcheng even forgot about the dirt on his body. He felt a sense of exhilaration.
Ye Wanmian was sweating all over, but she also felt much more relaxed. She deliberately showed a flaw, and the next moment, she was pounced on by the yellow dog.
The yellow dog crashed into her arms and rubbed all the yellow mud on its body onto hers. Ye Wanmian hugged its warm body and laughed heartily.
"Okay, okay, Da Huang. You win. I'll keep my promise. I'll buy you a chicken leg later."
Xiao Jingcheng smelled the sweet fragrance on the girl again. After some thought, he didn't dodge. He let out a few huffs from his nose, which was like his way of agreeing.
This place was just a few steps away from the south gate of the town. If they wanted to go up the mountain to collect herbs, they had to pass through this gate. Ye Wanmian tidied up her hair and clothes a bit, then called the yellow dog and headed towards the gate.
Even before they reached the gate, they could see from afar the soldiers guarding both sides of the south gate.
The armor these soldiers wore was very familiar. It was almost the same as the ones who had broken into her house to search that night.
So much time had passed. Why were they still here?
They had ransacked the whole town some time ago but still couldn't find the whereabouts of the "dog prince". Obviously, he wasn't in Dongli Town. What else could they find by staying any longer?
Ye Wanmian frowned imperceptibly. Just thinking about having to deal with them again made her feel repulsed.
Xiao Jingcheng naturally saw those soldiers too. He even spotted the familiar figure of Bu Hua among them.
There were quite a few villagers going out of the town. Because of the inspection, a queue had formed at the south gate. Ye Wanmian blended into the queue and kept her head down as much as possible so that others couldn't see her face clearly.
Soon, it was her turn.
The official doing the inspection was Bu Hua. He raised his hand to stop her, lowered his eyes and sized up Ye Wanmian and the yellow dog beside her, but didn't recognize them.
"Where are you going?"
Ye Wanmian showed her identity tag and replied, "I'm going up the mountain to collect herbs."
"Going up the mountain to collect herbs?" Bu Hua repeated, then continued to ask, "Why are you going up the mountain to collect herbs at this time?"
Ye Wanmian tightened her grip on the rope of the bamboo basket and answered, "I make a living by collecting herbs. I go to the mountains every few days. It's a regular thing. And it rained heavily the other day, so the soil in the mountains is loose, which is just suitable for picking herbs."
"Are you going alone? No one else?"
Ye Wanmian replied, "That's right."
Bu Hua motioned to the side, took out a portrait and handed it over. "Take a good look at the person in this portrait. If you go into the mountains and find someone who looks similar to this person, report it immediately. You'll get a reward of 500 taels of silver."
500 taels of silver?!
As soon as Bu Hua finished speaking, he felt a sharp look directed at him. He lowered his head and saw a big yellow dog glaring at him menacingly, baring its teeth and growling, as if it was about to pounce on him.
Bu Hua's face darkened. He drew out his knife and shouted coldly, "What are you looking at, you yellow - haired brute! I'll chop you up right now!"
Ye Wanmian had been worried that Bu Hua would cause trouble for the yellow dog again. Seeing this, she stuffed the portrait randomly and stood in front of the yellow dog with her hands on her hips.
"What are you doing? Even if you're soldiers, you can't just draw your knives and threaten people!"
Although she was afraid of the shining big knife in her heart, Ye Wanmian wouldn't back down this time. She deliberately put on the look of a shrewish village woman and sat down on the ground, crying and making a scene.
"I don't want to live anymore! My husband died in battle at the border to defend our country, leaving our mother and child widowed at a young age."
"When he was still alive, he often told me that soldiers should take it as their responsibility to protect the common people and should never harm their compatriots, which would damage the reputation of the soldiers and generals."
"My poor husband sacrificed so much for the Great Sheng, but in the end, our mother and child are still threatened by soldiers with knives. I don't want to live anymore!"